It’s been a year since the 2015 NFL Draft, and some decisions already are looking slightly head-scratching.
It’s a little early to judge teams on their first-round selections, but we’re in an industry where draft grades are common as soon as the seventh round wraps. So, perhaps there’s no such thing as premature critiques.
Let’s dig through the first round of last year’s draft and see what teams should have done, while keeping in mind this could look silly a year or two down the road.
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jameis Winston, quarterback, Florida State (No. 1)
Actual pick:Â Jameis Winston, quarterback, Florida State
Winston didn’t give the Buccaneers any reason to pass him over in a re-draft. He threw for 4,042 yards with 22 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in 2015.
2. Tennessee Titans: Marcus Mariota, quarterback, Oregon (No. 2)
Actual pick:Â Marcus Mariota, quarterback, Oregon
Mariota, like Winston, had a strong rookie season. He threw for 2,818 yards with 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions and added 252 yards on the ground.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars: Leonard Williams, defensive lineman, USC (No. 6)
Actual pick:Â Dante Fowler, Jr., edge defender, Florida
Williams was so good, he forced the Jets to push Sheldon Richardson to outside linebacker. It’s odd he fell to sixth overall in the first place.
4. Oakland Raiders: Amari Cooper, wide receiver, Alabama (No. 4)
Actual pick:Â Amari Cooper, wide receiver, Alabama
Cooper was the only rookie to have a 1,000-yard receiving season in 2015.
5. Washington Redskins: Brandon Scherff, offensive lineman, Iowa (No. 5)
Actual pick:Â Brandon Scherff, offensive lineman, Iowa
Scherff was drafted as a tackle but moved to right guard as a rookie, where he performed well. He showed promise and should have a solid career.
6. New York Jets: Todd Gurley, running back, Georgia (No. 10)
Actual pick:Â Leonard Williams, defensive lineman, USC
With Williams off the board, the Jets can turn to Gurley, who ran for 1,106 yards with 10 touchdowns in just 13 games.
7. Chicago Bears: Marcus Peters, cornerback, Washington (No. 18)
Actual pick:Â Kevin White, wide receiver, West Virginia
Peters earned a Pro Bowl nod after intercepting eight passes as a rookie. White sat out his entire rookie season with a shin injury.
8. Atlanta Falcons:Â Vic Beasley, edge defender, Clemson (No. 8)
Actual pick:Â Vic Beasley, edge defender, Clemson
Beasley showed enough promise as a rookie that the Falcons wouldn’t pass on him at No. 8 overall.
9. New York Giants: Byron Jones, defensive back, UConn (No. 27)
Actual pick: Ereck Flowers, offensive tackle, Miami
Flowers struggled mightily in his rookie season while Jones shined as a cornerback/safety hybrid.
10. St. Louis Rams: Ronald Darby, cornerback, Florida State (No. 50)
Actual pick:Â Todd Gurley, running back, Georgia
Darby was a steal with the 50th overall pick. He came in and started from Day 1 for the Buffalo Bills.
11. Minnesota Vikings: Trae Waynes, cornerback, Michigan State (No. 11)
Actual pick:Â Trae Waynes, cornerback, Michigan State
Waynes was a part-time player as a rookie, but he showed promise.
12. Cleveland Browns: Danny Shelton, defensive tackle, Washington (No. 12)
Actual pick:Â Danny Shelton, defensive tackle, Washington
Did the Browns finally hit on a first-round pick again? Sheldon showed the potential as a rookie.
13. New Orleans Saints: Andrus Peat, offensive tackle, Stanford (No. 13)
Actual pick:Â Andrus Peat, offensive tackle, Stanford
Peat had an up-and-down rookie season, but he started five of the Saints’ last six games.
14. Miami Dolphins: DeVante Parker, wide receiver, Louisville (No. 14)
Actual pick:Â DeVante Parker, wide receiver, Louisville
Parker came on strong at the end of the season for the Dolphins, averaging 74.1 yards per game over his last six contests.
15. San Francisco 49ers: Arik Armstead, defensive lineman, Oregon (No. 17)
Actual pick:Â Traded to San Diego Chargers, who selected Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon
Armstead didn’t have a full-time role for the 49ers in 2015, but he’ll likely earn one in 2016.
16. Houston Texans: Kevin Johnson, cornerback, Wake Forest (No. 16)
Actual pick:Â Kevin Johnson, cornerback, Wake Forest
Johnson was solid as a rookie, starting 10 games, defending nine passes and recording one interception.
17. San Diego Chargers: Tyler Lockett, wide receiver, Kansas State (No. 69)
Actual pick:Â Traded to 49ers, who selected Oregon defensive lineman Arik Armstead
Lockett was a steal for the Seattle Seahawks in the third round. He was a first-team All-Pro and earned a Pro Bowl nod after returning 40 punts for 379 yards with one touchdown. He also caught 51 passes for 664 yards with six touchdowns.
18. Kansas City Chiefs: Kevin White, wide receiver, West Virginia (No. 7)
Actual pick:Â Marcus Peters, cornerback, Washington
White didn’t play a single game in 2015, but the upside is still there.
19. Buffalo Bills: Dante Fowler, edge defender, Florida (No. 3)
Actual pick:Â Traded to Browns, who selected Florida State offensive lineman Cameron Erving
Fowler also didn’t play a single game in 2015, but he was the third overall pick for a reason.
20. Philadelphia Eagles: Stefon Diggs, wide receiver, Maryland (No. 146)
Actual pick: Nelson Agholor, wide receiver, USC
Diggs outproduced Agholor 52 receptions to 23, 720 yards to 283 and four touchdowns to one.
21. Cincinnati Bengals: Mario Edwards, defensive lineman, Florida State (No. 35)
Actual pick:Â Cedric Ogbuehi, offensive tackle, Texas A&M
Ogbuehi still has upside but barely played in 2015. Edwards started 10 games for the Raiders, recording 42 tackles and two sacks.
22. Pittsburgh Steelers: Bud Dupree, linebacker, Kentucky (No. 22)
Actual pick:Â Bud Dupree, linebacker, Kentucky
Dupree is all about upside, and despite an up-and-down rookie year, he’s still worthy of the 22nd pick.
23. Detroit Lions: David Johnson, running back, Northern Iowa (No. 86)
Actual pick:Â Traded to Denver Broncos, who selected Missouri edge defender Shane Ray
Johnson picked up 1,038 yards from scrimmage as a rookie, with 581 coming on the ground and 457 through the air. He had 12 total touchdowns.
24. Arizona Cardinals: Ereck Flowers, offensive tackle, Miami (No. 9)
Actual pick:Â D.J. Humphries, offensive tackle, Florida
Flowers was a bit of a mess as a rookie, but he started 15 games, white Humphries didn’t see the field.
25. Carolina Panthers: Shaq Thompson, linebacker, Washington (No. 25)
Actual pick:Â Shaq Thompson, linebacker, Washington
Thompson started 10 games, recording 50 tackles with one sack and two passes defended. Unsurprisingly, the former college defensive back, also was strong in coverage as a rookie.
26. Baltimore Ravens: Dorial Green-Beckham, wide receiver, Oklahoma (No. 40)
Actual pick:Â Breshad Perriman, wide receiver, UCF
Perriman didn’t see the field as a rookie, while Green-Beckham caught 32 passes for 549 yards with four touchdowns. If DGB can keep his head on straight, he’ll be a second-round steal.
27. Dallas Cowboys: Preston Smith, defensive end, Mississippi State (No. 38)
Actual pick:Â Byron Jones, defensive back, UConn
Smith led all rookies with eight sacks in 2015. Jones is long gone by the 27th pick.
28. Denver Broncos: Shane Ray, edge defender, Missouri (No. 23)
Actual pick:Â Traded to Lions, who selected Duke guard Laken Tomlinson
Ray had trouble finding the field with Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware in front of him. He still recorded four sacks.
29. Indianapolis Colts: Malcom Brown, defensive tackle, Texas (No. 32)
Actual pick: Phillip Dorsett, wide receiver, Miami
The Colts should have picked Brown 29th overall last year. Instead, they let him fall to the Patriots, where he quickly developed into a starter.
30. Green Bay Packers: Damarious Randall, defensive back, Arizona State (No. 30)
Actual pick:Â Damarious Randall, defensive back, Arizona State
Randall picked up 58 tackles and three interceptions in nine starts last season with the Packers.
31. Seattle Seahawks: Melvin Gordon, running back, Wisconsin (No. 15)
Actual pick:Â Traded to Saints, who selected Clemson linebacker Stephone Anthony
Gordon averaged just 3.5 yards per carry for the Chargers in 2015, but the Seahawks are running back-needy, and despite a strong rookie campaign, Thomas Rawls isn’t worth a first-round selection.
32. New England Patriots: Nelson Agholor, wide receiver, USC (No. 20)
Actual pick:Â Malcom Brown, defensive tackle, Texas
Agholor certainly didn’t put up gaudy stats, but he started 12 of 13 games and still is worthy of a first-round pick.
Thumbnail photo via Kevin Jairaj/USA TODAY Sports Images
